Bystander
by HopelesslyDaring
Summary: You wouldn't peg Kennedy Stone as the best friend of a soulless ginger. You wouldn't peg Gatlin as a crazy death trap either. A Bystander is a person not with the cult. She can't live as a Bystander anymore now that Isaac has killed her best friend, put her with Malachi, and put a knife in her hand. So, who's Penny? Has Malachi learned to love her? Can Kennedy get out of Gatlin?
1. A Good Day

**I don't own Children of the Corn or any of Stephen King's characters. I only own the characters you don't recognize. Thank you for reading Bystander! This is the first chapter, but the story will kick up soon. Thanks!**

**~M&M**

* * *

If I had known I would never see my parents again that morning, I would have gave them a much longer goodbye. The whole town of mine disappeared before me. I was pulled away from the house I grew up in and was forced to live a new life—one that never felt quite right. My best and only friend refused to speak to me ever again. Really, I wasn't even looked at. That was because I was a non-believer and had no reason not to be a follower of him. I was living in the town when Isaac was selected to lead the children. Instead of attending the preachings, I would stay at home or spy on them. I didn't like that. I wasn't like them, and I got reminded every day I went. They were pagan ones, and I was an Atheist. That didn't mix too well.

The day everyone was killed was a Monday. The warm, honey-coated day rested in the air while I took in the sweet scent. I was waiting. Mom and Dad left already to work while I waited for my bus to school. My house was on the other side of the street. A block away was Malachi's house. He was my best friend. We had been best friends since 2nd grade. I was practically a sister to him. At least I used to be. Malachi had been acting funny in the past month or so. He didn't like to be around people, especially me. Malachi always goes to the preachings. Every Sunday, he had to be gone from his house. Mr. and Ms. Boardman thought he was in a silly club. I tried to explain though. They were not a club of any sort.

Whenever I passed him in the halls, he would shoot me a glare that pushed me away. I climbed onto our cruddy yellow bus when it pulled up. It smelled and was always crowded like any other high school bus. When I was inside, I had to ignore the constant, senseless arguing and brawling that took place all the time. Most of the teenagers were as weird as Malachi had become. But at least they made conversation.

I noticed children who were clueless about the sudden rock of social treachery were obnoxious and loud. Others who were, in fact, not part of them, but noticed it were quiet and became Bystanders. That was a term my ally (more like educational companion), Courtney, and I used. She wasn't fully my friend (like I said "companion") but she wasn't unacquainted with me either. I spotted Courtney in one of the rows with her other friend, a clueless one, Dione. Obviously, you could tell Courtney was a Bystander as I.

My eyes skimmed away until a flame of blood red hair. It came down in waves—though, totally alien to the strict, dead green eyes underneath. I was kinda scared to sit by him. Malachi. He's your best friend, I told myself, you shouldn't be scared of your best friend. So, I sat next to him. Malachi. His eyes remained set forward as though they were concentrating on some unholy visitor. They probably are, I thought. I wanted to interrupt him; I wanted Malachi to acknowledge me and not ignore my awaiting presence. Finally, I built up enough courage to say something. Unfortunately, it was the wrong something.

"Right before you sleep, you know that feeling that makes you think you'll fall, what's the first thing on your mind?" What. The. Hell. I mentally hanged myself. Malachi never looked at me but seemed to still see me.

"Him." He muttered airily. Him was the thing I had nightmares about. He turned the sky black in the morning time. He made it rain with no clouds. Maybe He had something to do with Malachi's energy loss or the Sunday classes in the cornfield by my town, Gatlin. He could be anything. I didn't respond quickly.

"I think of someplace better." Malachi's neck snapped around to me.

"There is no place better than Gatlin, Bystander." So, he's unraveled our code, I thought. Honestly, I was terrified at his sudden movement.

"The edge of the Earth is better than here, Malachi." His eyes flashed anger and a warning to back down. That warning went through one ear and out the other. After a long pause of silence I said, "Why don't you want to be around me? W-Why don't you invite me to Hanson's anymore?" I stammered. His eyes softened as he saw how isolated I felt.

"Ok, Kennedy, I'm going to Hanson's after school. Do you want to come?" He asked it in a straight face. It felt like he was being forced to invite me. But, I couldn't believe it. He wasn't ignoring me. He was actually taking my advice and following it.

"You're serious?" I whimpered, gripping my backpack strap. He nodded silently. My face lit up and I hugged him. I never hugged Malachi. He froze, unsure of what to do. I didn't care as much. My best friend was becoming closer to getting back to normal.

"I missed you," I mumbled into his plaid shirt. Malachi's hands cautiously slid up my back, sort of hugging me too. I smiled. Things were getting better minute by minute.


	2. Hanson's and the Massacre to Come

**_Radio Free Death_****,**

**Thanks for your review. Keep in mind that I haven't learned anything serious yet about placement in writing. That, I know, I need to do. You corrected me on the "Him" part. I only capitalize it because, in this case, it is a proper noun. ****_Him_**** refers to He Who Walks Behind the Rows. And, in Gatlin, he is somewhat of a figurehead. **

**I didn't fully say Malachi agreed to become Kennedy's friend. I didn't say he took a liking to her either. He knows about her Bystander world. The whole cult is trying to persuade as many children as possible to join so they won't run into obstacles later. You'll learn more about that later in the book.**

**Before the great massacre at Hanson's, Kennedy Stone was an optimistic person and only saw the best in particular people. If there was no best, she'd be straightforward with it. Although, Kennedy only sees a time where Malachi was pure and innocent from the violence to come. Malachi only sees an obstacle in her and is driven to overcome it. While he plays the part of a returning friend, in the chapters to come, you'll see the the heartless thing the cult has turned him into. Again, thank you for your review. I appreciate it and hope you keep reading.**

**~M&M**

* * *

My mind was stuck on Hanson's the whole day. We could talk about everything! I could finally see why Malachi was separating himself from me, what they were doing in the cornfields, and learn about his obsession with Him. I scribbled more things in my notebook. It had been a long, restless day. Malachi barely had any classes with me which made things worse. Courtney did though. A folded page of composition paper landed silently on my desk. I glanced over and saw the big smile of Courtney. I unfolded the note and saw, in Courtney's handwriting,

_You look distracted_. I wrote back,

_Sorry, I have a lot of things going on_. I passed it to her and soon got the reply of,

_Things like what_? My reply was,

_Malachi invited me to Hanson's later. I've just been so excited._ A serious face fell onto Courtney when she read it.

_You are a Bystander, Kenn. Don't get caught up in their mess. Don't be one of them_. I rolled my eyes when I received her part of the conversation. Courtney always thought of me rather naive at the sound of Malachi's name. I wrote back, _I know, _

_Courtney. But, he's a good guy—just corrupted by Him_. Courtney gave me a face of disbelief. Who's side was she taking? She furiously scribbled something on the sheet and slapped it on my desk. Unfortunately, that was all it took. Out teacher had apparently seen us passing notes before she came up and snatched it away. But, right at the last second when our faces were filled with despair, I saw her answer.

_Don't trust him. We are Bystanders. We stick togeth–_

A smile danced across my lips when, finally, the last bell rang. The consequence of patience had been biting at my bones. Maybe it was what Courtney said that was making me feel odd. I was led off track when she came out so boldly. She made me feel pledged to being a Bystander. My only desire at the time was to reach Hanson's to meet with Malachi. Courtney had to be away from my thoughts. When the bell rang, I dashed out of the school or hell, same thing.

Suddenly, I was forced to greet the hot, bloody air. It brushed up against the sides of my face and flung my hair behind me. I forced a smile and walked to Hanson's, the diner. It wasn't very far away. Hey, Gatlin wasn't a very large town. It was one you'd hear about in love stories. Except, this wasn't a love story. Hanson's was a small, rectangular building with a faded yellow paint job. Old Cadillacs and other jalopies sat outside, by the road. The adults were coming out of church from some town meeting. I saw my buddy, Job, as I passed. He caught up with me.

"Hello, Job." I greeted, ruffling up the boy's neat hair. Job was a sweet little kid. He had a boyish face with sparks of energy for eyes—nothing like Malachi.

"Hello, Kennedy. Where' you going?" He asked with a young, energetic voice.

"Hanson's," He smiled.

"Dad and I are going there, too!" I glanced around and saw Job's father who was catching up with us. "Hey, Kennedy, how's your dad?" Job's father asked.

"Oh, he's fine. Is Sarah still sick?" His eyes lowered at that question. _She must still be,_ I thought.

"Yeah, nothing is getting better. I was just about to call home to check up on her. Oh, tell your old man that the guys and I are going out to pool tonight if he wants to come." I nodded.

"I'll tell him that, sir."

"So, you going to Hanson's?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm meeting Malachi." His face darkened. I knew Job's father never approved of Malachi or any of the other kids who were included in whatever. Job's father preferred himself, his family, and, especially, his son out of it. Maybe he knew for sure what was going on. There was no way to know.

"Kennedy, you know Malachi isn't a good friend for you to have. It's best to stay away." He remarked sternly.

"I'm sorry, sir. Malachi is my best friend. I have to give him a shot." He gave me an understanding smile, and we walked ahead.


	3. Courtney and Her Ashes

My aunt, Maria, worked at Hanson's as a waitress. She was the usual, pretty blond with a comforting grin, when we walked in, Maria bounced up and pulled me behind the counter.

"Kenn, I'm so happy to see you. I have something for you." My eyes lit up at her words. My aunt led to the back room and handed me a large grey box.

"I took a vacation to Oklahoma and found this." Quickly, I tore off the top and found a short white sun dress that cut off at my mid-thigh. A smile fell onto my lips. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"I love it, Maria. Thank you so much!" I gasped, still gazing at the beauty. Her grin became impossible to wipe off.

"Oh, put it on. Please, please put the dress on." I slipped inside the bathroom and undressed. The soft fabric fell across my skin like silk. It fit me just right and embraced my sides like a hug would. Soon, I came out. She giggled. Maria was a 7-year-old inside a 27-year-old's body. I spun around for dramatic effect.

"You look so cute, Kennedy." I smiled and thanked her once again.

When I changed back into my tee shirt and jeans, the door opened, and Malachi walked in. Behind him were a couple other creepy boys who I knew were included. Energy invaded my whole system. Maybe Maria's excitement was rubbing off onto me. I walked out behind the counter. He moved over to the pinball machines in the far back right corner. I followed and casually leaned against the wall.

"Hey," I began as he glanced at me.

"You came,"

"Of course I came. You told me to." I said. He's struck me with dull grey eyes.

"I invited you." He corrected, not giving me a second look. I rolled my eyes mindlessly.

"Same difference. Why did you want to come here?" I asked. A smug look crossed his face as his fingers suddenly halted on the pinball trigger. "I have some business to take care of, Kennedy." My eyes lowered.

"And that includes me how?" He turned to me.

"Look, you wanted to come. I simply invited you, because, face it, you have nothing else to do in Gatlin. But, now that you're here, you get a show." What?

Then, Malachi's eyes found something. I followed his gaze until my own eyes met another boy. He had dark, neat hair and a terrifying look. He was one of the ones Job's father complained about. His beady blue eyes were conversing with Malachi in a language I didn't know.

"Who's that?" I asked, trying not to let my voice crack. A despicable smile crossed their faces. Something is wrong, I thought to myself. An uncomfortable feeling traveled up my spine and, suddenly, I regretted coming to Hanson's with Malachi. They locked the doors. I saw it. They were holding things behind their backs. I saw it. Immediately, I moved to Job who was sitting by the counter.

"We need to go." I whispered in his ear. The boy raised his head, revealing a milkshake mustache.

"What?" That's when the first choke escaped lips. It came from an elderly woman. Then, from more people. It was their shirt collars. They were tightening around their necks and choking them to death. The poor woman collapsed in seconds, and a scream struck out as the boys began attacking. I held Job away from them as the blood spilled. I cried out when it splattered on my shirt and jeans. It apparently did to Job as well. I was too scared to open my eyes.

_They're going to kill me_, I thought, _This is the "business" Malachi was talking about._ The fear was unbearable. Finally, everything was still. I let go of Job and opened my eyes. Maybe I shouldn't have. A scream escaped my lips as bloody corpses laid on top of each other with different death sentences. I wanted to throw up. Red was sprawled from their throats like lava. Knives were jammed in so many's backs. Nausea and hyperventilating took over my body.

"Daddy," Job breathed. I glanced over and saw Job's father dead as a doornail. Instantly, I pushed Malachi back as tears spilled over my eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" I screamed, picking up my breathing. He shoved me back and sent a cut across my cheek. I winced and fell across the table. That's when I shrieked. There was Maria. Her head was 3 feet away from her neck, and her remaining body parts sat in a large pool of blood.

"No!" I screamed. It broke my heart to see my aunt dead, and I didn't know the reason why. Every adult was slaughtered helplessly. No longer did I feel like a Bystander because, now, I was included.

* * *

More questions swept through my mind. Where were my parents? What happened to Courtney? Is she dead? Who was that boy? Did he have something to do with the killings? But, nothing was answered. Malachi signaled for me and Job to come along. What choice did I have? He would probably kill me in an "extra-special" way. As we left Hanson's, the feeling passed over me. Gatlin felt alien. Places were abandoned, and homes looked different. I wasn't sure where we were going, but, honestly, I didn't want to find out. But, we didn't go to town. We swirled the corner and raced to the cornfield. From inside, preaching was going on. I brushed by stalk after stalk, behind Malachi the whole time. Every pagan child sat in groups around the same boy I saw in the window.

"Ah, Malachi. You have served Him well. Sit, my child." Malachi pulled me down with him near a group.

"I saw a figure in my dreams last night asking for this offering. Our sacrifice means peace granted to our land. But, as I saw him in my visions at Hanson's, it was clear we were taking in...others." He said others as if it disgusted him. I knew what he meant by others.

"The Lord understands that the non-believers walk among us. He greets them with one exception. They must understand and learn our rules—our way of life and accept it into their hearts. The holy one requests a burning and crucifixion of one." I almost screamed. One of us. The boy was going to kill a Bystander. My eyes cast over and set on a girl. Courtney. Her face of terror said it all. That as everything I needed. The boy saw Courtney and, before anything else happened, I shot up.

"Mmm...yes, dear?" He asked, knowing full reason why I was standing up. Every eye landed on me, and I suddenly felt naked.

"You said you needed a Bystander. I'll do it." He smirked.

"There is a perfectly good non-believer there who isn't important to this group"—he ushered to Courtney—"Why pick yourself, child?" My jaw was set, and I clenched my fists, not thinking at all.

"She's my best friend. Touch her, and I'll send you to Hell." That was it. That was all I had to do to get Courtney killed.

"You certainly have no respect. Doesn't it pass as a message by ending her life to teach you?" No. There was no way I would allow that.

"Don't you dare. I will kill you." He smiled and nodded in Courtney's direction.

"Bring her," Two boys jerked her up, and Courtney began begging for release.

"No...please, Isaac. Please!" She pleaded. I was shocked. My best friend was going to die.

"And just for a teaching sake, I'll let you watch."

"No! Let her go, Isaac!" I screamed. I ran to the front and started pulling her away.

"Grab the girl." Isaac ordered. I started screaming at him as Malachi and another boy struggled to hold me back.

"Let her go! Get your hands off Courtney!" I yelled, jerking my arm back. She was pinned to the ground. At that time, tears were running down my cheeks. He couldn't do that to me. Malachi was holding me back from saving my best friend. He wanted her dead.

"Let me go!" But, it didn't stop. My cries only made it worse. They tied Courtney up to the handmade cross. I watched my best friend jerk from left to right, crying a waterfall.

"Give me that torch!" Isaac ordered. They handed him the fire, and he released it onto Courtney. I couldn't scream louder. She was everything to me. If I lost Courtney, I'd lose myself. I watched with blurry eyes as my best friend's forgotten smile turned to ashes.

"This, Kennedy Stone, is what happens when you become cross with him." Finally, I understood.


	4. Hey There Delilah

**Hey guys, sorry for the inconvenience I put you all through. I literally have no excuse. Hope you enjoy the** **chapter!**

During the next year, I felt like an empty box—useless, lifeless, and just there. I just sat. Isaac had me living with Malachi, so I wouldn't escape. That was alright. There was nothing else they could do that would hurt me—nothing else worse. Courtney was ashes that had seeped into the dead earth. I shouldn't have lived. I shouldn't have made it out of that fiasco. I should have died instead of Courtney. Malachi was at the preaching. I had faked sickness to get out of it. There was no way I was letting them poison me with their beliefs. It was terrible there. I wished and hoped someone would come into town—an adult who could take me away from Gatlin. But, after waiting so long, I realized that was not going to happen.

So, there I was—sitting on the stairs of my porch at my house. Not Malachi's though. My house. He didn't like me going there. Then, we'd get into huge fights like a married couple, he'd most likely hit me, and somewhere squeezed in, we'd fall asleep murmuring apologies. But, none of it felt real. I wasn't supposed to disobey Malachi. Who cared? I was already shattered. They couldn't break me anymore.

I sighed and pulled my knees into my arms. The sun glinted off my skin in rays and left my eyes wandering in the empty sky. Why am I supposed to get this? I asked myself. There was never an answer.

"No preachings today?" I glanced over to the voice and spotted a girl about 15 years old. She had pearly platinum blonde hair. It fell into two long, curly, messy braids. She had the face of a doll. Her lips were pink and plump, and her eyes were the color of crystal waters. Her skin had a radiant, angelic glow. The girl actually looked normal and happy. It shocked me. The girl approached me and smiled. Then, I began to worry. How would I explain that I was sick, when it obviously looked like I wasn't?

"There...There is." I muttered. The girl sat next to me and smiled like she didn't have a care in the world. I was frozen stiff, wondering exactly why she wasn't at the preachings. Everyone went to the preachings. There wasn't a soul left behind. Although, there she was—sitting like a complete fool.

"Why are you even here?" I asked, finding some confidence. She shrugged.

"Why can't I? It's a pretty day, don't you think?" Her voice, which I soon noticed, had an unsure side to it. Always. It was completely different from her looks. Her voice was serious but unsure. It grew quiet for a moment. I didn't know what to say that wouldn't get me killed. So, I did the normal conversation starter.

"Who are you?"

"Penny. My name's Penny. How about you, doll?" My eyes opened a bit wider. The strange girl was becoming more curious by the second.

"My name...is Kennedy." I cringed remembering the name Isaac gave me. No one knew me by "Kennedy."

"No. I'm sorry. My name is Delilah. That's the name Isaac gave me." Penny's hand flinched at the name of Isaac. I decided to ignore her reaction.

"Oh. Alright, then." We stared at that waving cornfield. I kinda stopped devising plans to escape many months ago. It became obvious there was no use trying, so, ultimately, I gave up. But, something struck inside of me the moment I saw Penny. It was the spark of two rebellion rocks. An idea formed in my head—another plan of escape. Why would I try? There isn't ever any use to try. I glanced at Penny and suddenly saw the face of Courtney.

"Hey, Penny? Do you want to come inside...for a little while?" A smile danced across her lips. It was the first pure smile I'd seen in months.

"I'd love to."


End file.
